(CNN)"Is it fair that you have so much influence?"
We've been asked that question more than a few times in the 18 years since we started our foundation. Our answer? No. It's not fair that we have so much wealth when billions of others have so little. And it's not fair that our wealth opens doors that are closed to most people.
However, we do this work, and use whatever influence we have, to help as many people as possible and to advance equity around the world.

Since its inception over a century ago, AIC Kijabe Hospital has transformed into a national (and even international) center of clinical excellence. And yet the mission of the hospital does not end with clinical excellence alone. As the institution has matured, its goals have expanded beyond care delivery to care systems development and medical education. Over the course of our time here we have worked alongside medicine residents, obstetric residents, general surgery residents, neurosurgery residents, plastic surgery residents, and anesthesia residents and fellows from not only Kenya, but all of Africa (including Cameroon, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Gabon, and Rwanda just to name a few) – training at Kijabe and planning to return to either their county or country equipped to provide high quality care.

By Bill Frist
What a week! We have spent the days surrounded by the unique landscapes and wildlife that are a source of pride for all Africans, and must be safeguarded as this continent rapidly urbanizes. We have traveled from a remote lakeshore town (Buhingu) in Tanzania all the way to the Serengeti, engaging in countless discussions on global health and wellbeing along the way, sharing the 13-year history of Hope Through Healing Hands operating in Africa and learning a lot about health, healing, and sustainability from local and native peoples.

How can people of faith contribute to the political will and the leadership of shifting the paradigm for vulnerable populations to enhance access to nutrition for mothers and children, end stunting and wasting, increase food security, and reduce malnutrition? This chat will cover these areas and more at the intersection of justice and global nutrition.

For decades, global health has been a core part of American foreign policy. Through supporting the well-being of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations, it is clear that America embraces generosity through its role as an international superpower. However, these acts should not be solely regarded as magnanimous or altruistic. Grappling with the health of global populations has crucial benefits for American interests.

In late February, when the Trump administration was poised to unveil a budget of deep cuts to the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development, a group of retired U.S. generals and admirals put pen to paper in defense of foreign assistance. “Now is not the time to retreat,” the letter to the U.S. Congress, signed by over 120 military leaders, concluded.

In March, President Trump issued a budget that recommended a 32 percent cut to foreign assistance. Faith-based organizations across the nation fought back and notable leaders in the nonprofit world—including those from Hope Through Healing Hands, the organization I work for—wrote and signed letters to Congress. They argued against cuts to a program that provides health care, food, emergency relief, clean water and education to the most vulnerable populations on the planet.

Following years of involvement in global humanitarian efforts, I was privileged recently to travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with some of our Congressmen to discuss the importance of preserving this line item in our U.S. budget. What fuels my passion for this work are stories like the one I share here and Christ’s compassion flowing through me for those in direst need.

We partnered Friday to organize an event at the Utah State Capitol to discuss the critical leadership role that the United States plays globally and to highlight Utah’s longstanding commitment and contributions to this leadership. Whether rebuilding Europe and Asia following the devastation of World War Two, promoting economic and political freedoms throughout the Cold War or responding to the scourges of hunger and disease, the United States has embraced its role as the leading force for good in the world both as a strategy to protect and advance our national interests and as a demonstration of American values and compassion.

(CNN)"Is it fair that you have so much influence?"
We've been asked that question more than a few times in the 18 years since we started our foundation. Our answer? No. It's not fair that we have so much wealth when billions of others have so little. And it's not fair that our wealth opens doors that are closed to most people.
However, we do this work, and use whatever influence we have, to help as many people as possible and to advance equity around the world.

By Bill Frist
What a week! We have spent the days surrounded by the unique landscapes and wildlife that are a source of pride for all Africans, and must be safeguarded as this continent rapidly urbanizes. We have traveled from a remote lakeshore town (Buhingu) in Tanzania all the way to the Serengeti, engaging in countless discussions on global health and wellbeing along the way, sharing the 13-year history of Hope Through Healing Hands operating in Africa and learning a lot about health, healing, and sustainability from local and native peoples.

By Amy Fogleman, RN
During February 8-10, 2018, over 200 students from all over the U.S. and Canada gathered at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI for the Faith and International Development Conference (FIDC). This three-day conference attracts students who are interested in programs of development, global studies, and missions. The FIDC provides opportunities for these students to engage with and learn from speakers and organizations who work in global development, in hopes of inciting their interest for global service.

How can people of faith contribute to the political will and the leadership of shifting the paradigm for vulnerable populations to enhance access to nutrition for mothers and children, end stunting and wasting, increase food security, and reduce malnutrition? This chat will cover these areas and more at the intersection of justice and global nutrition.

By Bill Frist
Tracy and I are in Africa for two-weeks: Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya. The trip will bring together work from Hope Through Healing Hands (global community health) and The Nature Conservancy (intersection nature and health) in conjunction with Pathfinder International (global women’s health). As chairman of Hope Through Healing Hands, I will explore how we can globally impact peoples’ well-being and health by more smartly addressing and integrating: food and nutrition; clean water by protecting sources and exploring the power of social impact water funds; sustainable agricultural practices; environment and pollution; climate change and coastal impact; maternal and reproductive health; infant mortality and child health. The expertise of The Nature Conservancy – the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people – will be invaluable as we study in depth its science-based best practices in each of these areas. Internet access is intermittent, but I will share updates as I can.

By Bill Frist
It’s been many years since my first trip to Africa, but each trip changes me. I already know this trip will be no different. Tracy and I are here for two-weeks this time: Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya. The trip will bring together work from Hope Through Healing Hands (global community health) and The Nature Conservancy (intersection nature and health) in conjunction with Pathfinder International (global women’s health). Since 2004, Hope Through Healing Hands has invested over $2.2 million in direct funding to Africa and has sent over 60 Frist Global Health Leaders to African nations including Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania for medical service and training.

By Jenny Eaton Dyer, PhD
Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the National Association of Evangelicals Christian Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
The conference was led by Galen Carey, Vice President of Government Relations, and on the day I spoke, it was in the grand marble Kennedy Caucus room in the Russell Building on Capitol Hill.

Since its inception over a century ago, AIC Kijabe Hospital has transformed into a national (and even international) center of clinical excellence. And yet the mission of the hospital does not end with clinical excellence alone. As the institution has matured, its goals have expanded beyond care delivery to care systems development and medical education. Over the course of our time here we have worked alongside medicine residents, obstetric residents, general surgery residents, neurosurgery residents, plastic surgery residents, and anesthesia residents and fellows from not only Kenya, but all of Africa (including Cameroon, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Gabon, and Rwanda just to name a few) – training at Kijabe and planning to return to either their county or country equipped to provide high quality care.

I am finishing up my first week rotating at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia. I have been participating on the ID consult service, and it is amazing how much I have learned over the past four days. The ID team has been very welcoming, and I am grateful for their teaching and patience, especially as I learn a new system.